Advisory Circulars

Provides guidance and recommendations on the installation of airport visual aids.

See also--

• The Design, Installation, and Maintenance of In-Pavement Airport Lighting (PDF) by Arthur S. Schai

Provides guidelines for the development of State standards for and the use of State highway specifications for pavement construction at nonprimary public-use airports as provided for in title 49 United States Code (USC), Sections 47105(c) and 47114(d)(5), respectively.

Contains standards for the planning, design, installation, and maintenance of Engineered Materials Arresting Systems (EMAS) in runway safety areas (RSAs).

Provides information that airports can use to procure foreign object debris (FOD) detection equipment. Contains minimum performance specifications for systems and equipment that detect foreign objects on airports, including stationary radar, stationary electro-optical, stationary hybrid radar and electro-optical, and mobile radar.

See also Buy American Preferences to view:

• Notice of Decision to Issue Buy American Waivers for Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Detection Equipment (11/28/2010)
• Notice to Manufacturers of Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Detection Equipment (8/5/2010)
• Waiver request process

Contains specifications for the frangible connections used to support objects located in airfield safety areas, including fuse bolts, special material bolts, frangible couplings, tear-through fasteners, and tear-out sections.

This AC is based on the performance standards, specifications, and recommendations contained in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Aerodrome Design Manual, Part 6, Frangibility, and the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Engineering Technical Letter (ETL) 01-20: Guidelines for Airfield Frangibility Zones.

Explains the specifications for establishing geodetic control on or near an airport. It also describes how to submit the information to the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) for approval and inclusion in the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) in support of aeronautical information surveys. See also Airports GIS Video Training Series.

Provides the specifications for the collection of airport data for the FAA Airport Surveying – Geographic Information System (GIS) Program. Also explains how to submit data to the FAA, which will forward the safety critical data to the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) for independent verification and validation. The standards covered in this document provide critical information for the operation and safety of the National Airspace System (NAS) and are classified as critical by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). ICAO Annex 15 defines data as critical when “there is a high probability when using corrupted critical data that the continued safe flight and landing of an aircraft would be severely at risk with the potential for catastrophe.” The information furnished under these standards covers the entire spectrum of the FAA’s airport data requirements. See also FAA Airport Surveying - GIS Program and Airports GIS Video Training Series.

Provides an interactive specification that airports can use in procuring Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) vehicles. It describes the selection process, vehicle requirements, and how to produce formal specifications.

Provides guidelines and procedures for measuring and evaluating runway roughness as identified by surface profile data of rigid and flexible airport pavements. Provides technical procedures to quantify surface irregularities and to determine how surface irregularities may affect specific categories of airplanes.

Provides standards for the design of heliports serving helicopters with single rotors. Basic concepts can also be applied to facilities serving helicopters with tandem (front and rear) or dual (side by side) rotors; although many standards will not apply to these facilities.

This version adds guidance for pavement or structure larger than the touchdown and liftoff area (TLOF), but less than the size of the final approach and take off (FATO); turbulence effects; clearance between parking areas and taxi routes and within parking areas; minimum dimensions of curved approach/departure airspace; Touchdown/Positioning Circle (TDPC) Marking; Flight Path Alignment Guidance markings and lights; Emergency Helicopter Landing Facility Requirements (EHLF); FATO to FATO separation distance for simultaneous operations; revised standards for size of “H” for general aviation heliports; increased TLOF size when the FATO of a hospital heliport is not load bearing; and Heliport Protection Zone (HPZ) for hospital heliports. See "Principal Changes" for a complete list.

Provides recommended guidelines for maintenance of airport visual aid facilities, including Runway Status Lights (RWSL) Systems, rotating beacons, lighted wind cone assemblies, runway and taxiway guidance signs, Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) Systems, Visual Approach Slope Indicators (VASIs), Runway End Identifier Lights (REILs), Medium Approach Lighting Systems (MALS, MALSF, MALSR), Hazard Beacons And Obstruction Lights, and Airport Lighting Control And Monitoring Systems (ALCMS).